Contrastive relational markers in women’s expository writing in nineteenth-century English

This study seeks to analyse the occurrence of contrastive relational markers in a corpus recipes called Corpus Women’s Instructive Texts English, 19th century sub-corpus (COWITE19). Opposition relations, also referred as adversative or contrastive, are usually identified with such “but”, “although”, and “however”. From semantic point view, classification these relations can be established into contrast, concession, corrective, based on their linguistic evidence, lexical differences syntactic behaviour (Izutsu, 2008). A further rhetorical function is antithesis, presented consistent device possessed verbal, analytical persuasive nature (Fahnestock, 1999). The analysis made following computerised methodology tries discern which mostly employed for instructions conveyed by females. It shows opposition relation predominant, whether concessive, corrective and, finally, it detects antithesis an additional opposing meaning. In all cases, possible argumentative role highlighted another step characterisation women’s scientific writing.